VW boss: Early success reduces Mexico pressure

The boss of Volkswagen Motorsport believes his team's excellent start to its debut WRC season has relieved the pressure ahead of next week’s third round in Mexico.

At a press conference today, Jost Capito acknowledged that the team’s performance on the rallies in Monte-Carlo and Sweden had exceeded expectations and had enabled it to adopt a different approach for the Polo R’s debut on gravel.

“We can go to Mexico with confidence and just see what happens,” said Capito. “It’s the first gravel rally, with unique conditions, and we just go there without any real expectations and see how it goes. And that’s a very good start for the drivers too. They don’t have any pressure. The drivers can enjoy themselves driving.”

However Capito warned that the conditions in Mexico were likely to present more of a challenge to the fledgling Polo R than the opening two rounds.

“The first two rallies were really driver heavy,’ he explained. “We know that Sebastien and Jari-Matti are very quick, so when the drivers count more than the car I think we could expect to be competitive. Now when we go to ‘standard’ rallies the car counts more and the driver less. So far the car has been very reliable but the gravel rallies are much tougher so we will see how that works.”

Volkswagen carried out specific testing for Rally Mexico in 2012, running the Polo’s engine in a climatic chamber in Germany to simulate rally conditions, before confirming settings with a test in Mexico in November.

“We went to Mexico for a couple of days because when you enter the WRC you can’t test there any more. The conditions are very special so you have to prove that the car runs properly,” said Capito.

“We learned a lot there. But how the competitiveness is we will have to see. You can go testing all you like but as long as you are not on stages with other competitors then you really do not know.”

F1 testing: Teams under pressure as potentially wet final test looms

The final pre-season Formula 1 test kicks off at Barcelona on Thursday amid fears that the vital four days of running will be hit by bad weather conditions.
With a threat of rain on both Thursday and Friday, teams face the prospect of having to condense much of their final on-track preparations of the season into only two full days of dry running over the weekend.
And with the temperatures over the weekend expected to be cold, this will inhibit chances of getting on top of the 2013 Pirelli control tyres in representative conditions ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
This follows the first Barcelona test being held in conditions that Mark Webber described as the "worst-case scenario" for the tyres, and in which all teams struggled with degradation.
So far, most of the eight days of testing have been largely unaffected by rain, but low temperatures have skewed the tyre picture.
During the upcoming final four days of running, the 11 teams are expected to bolt on their final Melbourne-specification upgrades and conduct race simulations.
Much attention will be focused on McLaren, which has shown encouraging form in the first two pre-season tests but has hit the headlines this week following technical director Paddy Lowe's decision to switch to Mercedes next year.
Jenson Button admitted at the last test that the team still has work to do in understanding the McLaren MP4-28, meaning that making the most of track time at Barcelona could be key to the team starting the season strongly.
Ferrari is also expected to bring some development parts, with Fernando Alonso confident that he can fight for the world championship provided that it is possible to "improve the car a little bit.
Red Bull is set to bring more parts for its evolutionary RB9 machine, while Lotus, which has shown a good turn of speed so far this year, could also continue to try out its passive DRS concept.

WRC: New two-day Rally Italia revealed

The organisers of this year's Rally Italia Sardegna have revealed a new two-day itinerary for the event that in 2012 was spread over four days.

In Rally Guide 1, published today, organisers said the abridged schedule had been made possible thanks to a more compact route. The number of stages stays the same at 16 and the total competitive distance is almost unchanged, with this year’s total of 304.7km just one kilometre less than in 2012.

Rally Italia is the seventh round of this year’s world championship and squeezes all of its stage action into Friday 20th and Saturday 21st June.

The main venue of the event continues to be the town of Olbia, which hosts the service park in its commercial harbor complex.

On Thursday last year Rally Italia featured two passes through the 28km Terranova stage, but on Thursday this year the drivers will tackle just the Qualifying Stage followed by a Ceremonial Start from the city of Sassari.

Friday’s competition starts from Olbia and includes a trio of special stages before a Remote Service Zone in Sassari. After they will head towards Castelsardo, along the northern coast of Sardinia, for another three stages before returning to the service park in Olbia. The crews leave again for two more tests, the last of which starts in darkness at 21:28hrs.

On Saturday the competition will go through the areas of Monte Acuto and Gallura. Crews will tackle four stages in the morning, which are repeated in the afternoon after a midday service in Olbia. The first of the afternoon’s tests, the 19.31km Monte Olia, is the Power Stage where bonus championship points will be awarded. The event will close on Saturday evening with a prize giving in Porto Cervo.

This year marks the tenth time the rally will be run in Sardegna since leaving its previous mainland home of Sanremo.

Sergio Perez Q&A: McLaren have made huge leap since Jerez

McLaren’s new driver, Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez, was quick to play down his fastest time around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Wednesday. But given team mate Jenson Button’s similarly impressive performance at the first test in Jerez, even Perez was forced to admit the future is looking bright for the Mexican and his Woking colleagues…

Q: Checo, what was your impression of your car today?
Sergio Perez: It’s been a good day. I am very happy with our program - we’ve managed to run our full program today, so I am very happy about that. So far my first four days with the team and in the car have been great and hopefully on the last two days we will be able to again do very productive work.

Q: You are at the top of the time sheet today - and Jenson did pretty well in Jerez - so is it fair to say that the new McLaren is a pretty fast car and that it has what it takes?
SP: To be honest, I have no idea where we are. The time sheet looks nice for sure, but what it really means who knows? All I can say is that I know that we still have a lot to do before the first race.

Q: You are now in your second week of your ‘new’ life at the track with McLaren. How does it feel? Isn’t there a huge amount of pressure on your young shoulders?
SP: It just feels fantastic. To be here gives such a boost in motivation - I just can’t wait to get to Melbourne!

Q: Before it was a good race position that made your day. Now nothing less than wins will do…
SP: Well, but isn’t that what every driver dreams about - to be given the car that can deliver? Well, then you better had deliver. I am sure I will get to Melbourne 100 percent ready. The last two days I will have in the car next week will finalise my preparation perfectly - and then Oz, here I come! (laughs)

Q: So once all the focus is on Melbourne, what could make you worry? And what would make you happy in between now and March 17?
SP: The thought that racing is just around the corner makes me happy. We do tests because it is the only way to collect important data, but other than that it is boring. Racing is what makes your heart beat faster. What do I worry about? Nothing to worry about - just a huge workload still ahead. I want to improve myself even further, I want to improve the car and be in the best-prepared way.

Q: What does that top spot on today’s time sheet mean to you?
SP: Not much. It is nothing more than testing. Tomorrow everybody will have already forgotten about it. It has no significance. Sure it is nice to see your name up there, but you don’t get anything for it. What really meant a lot is that we obviously made a huge leap forward from Jerez to Barcelona. The car is now coming my way much more naturally. It’s a good sign.

Q: But is your name in the top spot some sort of omen? Do we have to get ready to see your name up there from now on?
SP: Ha, I hope so. Keep your fingers crossed.

F1: Barcelona day four - Hamilton quickest as second test ends

Lewis Hamilton set the pace for Mercedes as the second pre-season test of 2013 drew to a close in Barcelona amid damp conditions on Friday.

Heavy downpours resulted in the first two hours of running being blighted by red flags as drivers struggled to keep their cars on the slippery circuit. However, track conditions soon improved and, in a flurry of activity before lunch, Hamilton leapt to the top of the timesheets with a short run on medium-compound tyres.

Sadly for the teams, the rain returned after lunch meaning that none of the drivers was able to better his time in the afternoon session and any meaningful running was severely limited.

“The conditions today meant that we didn't complete as many laps we would have done in the dry but we have gone through the test items that we wanted to achieve this week,” said Hamilton.

“We have been working on our consistency over long runs and we managed one run this morning on dry tyres; the car felt okay but the conditions were also very cool, so we cannot draw too many conclusions.”

Hamilton’s former team mate Jenson Button ended up with the second-quickest time of the day for McLaren, with Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne in third.

“Another productive day, even with the rain,” said an upbeat Vergne. “We had many things to test, especially on the aero side and I feel we got some good answers.

“Later, it was useful for me to drive on the extreme and intermediate Pirellis and I got a good understanding of how they behave, even if the conditions were extremely cold, so it was actually surprising we had rain and not snow! Now I am looking forward to the final test, which will be very important for everyone.”

Jules Bianchi did his chances of landing the second seat at Force India no harm by ending the day in fourth place, whilst Esteban Gutierrez - one of several drivers to end up in the gravel in the morning - clocked the fourth-fastest time for Sauber.

“For me it was the very first time I had driven a Formula One car in the wet,” said Gutierrez. “It was particularly interesting in the morning, when the track was wet to begin with and then started to dry out.

“I was able to drive with dry tyres in very tricky conditions, which was a situation I could experience in a race. It was important for me to feel this change in conditions. In the afternoon I got the opportunity to compare the intermediate tyres with the full wets. I learned so much today. This was just what I needed.”

Behind Gutierrez, Giedo van der Garde took advantage of the conditions to deliver Caterham’s best position on the timesheets in testing so far.

“Despite today’s weather it’s been another relatively productive day,” said the Dutchman. “It’s certainly been one of the coldest days I’ve had on track, but even with the cold track temps and the rain that stopped and started we were able to get through quite a bit of work.

“The cold weather meant it might not have been much fun for the fans in the stands, but it was useful to get some laps done on the intermediate tyres as it was my first time in an F1 car in the wet, and to experience the car in the wet/dry conditions we had today.

“We also tried a couple more ideas to help improve the rear stability but, again, as the tyres weren’t really coming up to temperature we weren’t able to push too hard today.”

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, Red Bull’s Mark Webber, Marussia’s Max Chilton and Lotus’s Romain Grosjean rounded out the top ten.

Williams were the only team not to set a time on Friday, preferring, as they had their full race team with them, to focus on pit-stop practice instead.

“Despite the weather we were able to achieve a lot,” said Valtteri Bottas, who drove the FW35 in the morning session before handing over to team mate Pastor Maldonado in the afternoon.

“The key things to work on as a driver are braking as late as possible for the pit-lane speed limit to minimise the time lost, perfecting your positioning in the box and finally pulling away quickly and cleanly.

“It’s really interesting as there are a lot of things to think about, but the better I get, the more trust you build with the pit crew which means they are able to react even quicker. We’ll be doing a few more at the next test but then I feel I will be ready for Melbourne when it comes to pitstops.”

The third and final pre-season test of 2013 runs from February 28-March 3 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.

Unofficial Friday test times from Barcelona:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:23.282, 52 laps
2. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:23.633, 70 laps
3. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:24.071, 80 laps
4. Jules Bianchi, Force India, 1:25.732, 96 laps
5. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:26.239, 61 laps
6. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:27.429, 50 laps
7. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:27.563, 80 laps
8. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:27.616, 64 laps
9. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:29.902, 51 laps
10. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:34.800, 41 laps
11. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, No time, 23 laps
12. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, No time, 13 laps

Unofficial aggregate test times from Barcelona:
1. Sergio Perez, McLaren, 1:21.848, 174 laps
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:21.875, 283 laps
3. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:22.160, 179 laps
4. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:22.188, 160 laps
5. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:22.197, 150 laps
6. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:22.611, 162 laps
7. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:22.623, 87 laps
8. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.675, 178 laps
9. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:22.726, 173 laps
10. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:22.826, 189 laps
11. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:22.840, 141 laps
12. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:22.877, 78 laps
13. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:23.024, 172 laps
14. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:23.366, 186 laps
15. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:23.718, 143 laps
16. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:23.971, 144 laps
17. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:25.115, 241 laps
18. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:25.124, 129 laps
19. Jules Bianchi, Force India, 1:25.732, 96 laps
20. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:26.177, 133 laps
21. Charles Pic, Caterham, 1:26.243, 151 laps
22. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:27.563, 80 laps

F1: Maldonado to debut new Williams in Barcelona

Williams have confirmed that Pastor Maldonado will give the team’s new Renault-powered FW35 its track debut following its much-anticipated launch at next week's test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.

The Grove-based squad, who finished eighth in the constructors’ standings last year, are the only team yet to run their 2013 car, having chosen to use a development version of their 2012 machine, the FW34, at the first pre-season test of the year in Jerez, Spain.

Maldonado, who won last year’s Spanish Grand Prix for Williams, will hand driving duties over to rookie team mate Valtteri Bottas on day two of the four-day session. The two drivers will then split the final two days of running, with each getting a further morning and afternoon in the car.

The Barcelona session is the second of three pre-season tests and runs from February 19-22. The final test - also taking place in Barcelona - runs from February 28-March 3.

Capito: “Ogier in a class of his own”

Volkswagen Motorsport boss Jost Capito has paid tribute to Sebastien Ogier for taking his squad's maiden victory in the World Rally Championship on only its second event.

Polo R driver Ogier led Rally Sweden from SS2 and won 11 of the event’s 22 special stages before clinching the win by 41.8sec from reigning champion Sebastien Loeb.

Capito said the result already far exceeded expectations of what the team would achieve in its debut season.

“We didn’t even dream that we could get this result so soon,” he said. “We came here to learn, it’s the second rally and this is the fantastic result. Normally rallies are up and down, but we had no downs. It was unbelievable.

“To win the second round of the World Championship under our own steam is a real milestone. The Rally Sweden is one of a kind. The Polo R WRC worked perfectly in these conditions, and Sebastien took full advantage. He was in a class of his own here. We all know he is capable of the pace, but I didn’t know he could do it already with the Polo.”

Ogier joins nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb as only the second winner of the rally to come from outside of Sweden, Norway and Finland. Loeb was the first to break the Nordic countries’ stranglehold in 2004.

F1 Interview: Toto Wolff - I'll do everything to make Mercedes successful

He’s only been in the job a few weeks, but already Toto Wolff - recently appointed as Mercedes’ new head of motorsport - has focused his sights on improving the fortunes of the car manufacturer's Formula One team.

Last week, Wolff was in Jerez as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg took the covers off Mercedes’ 2013 challenger, the F1 W04. After a mixed first test - which included two days of mechanical issues followed by two days of productive running - the 41-year-old Austrian spoke exclusively about how he landed one of the biggest roles in the paddock, his plans for the coming season, and the all-important chain of command at the team…

Q: Toto, your Mercedes appointment came as a bit of a surprise to many. You were part of the hierarchy at Williams and then suddenly you’re with Mercedes. How did it come about?
Toto Wolff: Actually it all went very quickly - within a couple of weeks. From let’s say informal discussions it developed into serious talking. I can only concentrate on one thing properly and I was fully committed to Williams. But then - when the Mercedes opportunity came up - it meant not only being involved with the Formula One team and running it, but also - on the motorsport side - taking over Norbert Haug’s legacy of 22 years as a motorsport director. I said to myself ‘Toto, this is an opportunity that only comes along every 20 years.’ It also meant going back to my roots a bit as I have been with Mercedes since 2005. So Mercedes is not new to me. I am involved in (Mercedes-affiliated DTM team) HWA so half of the things I have to do are almost business as usual. I know the guys and trust them and the commitment of the Mercedes board is there to do Formula One, so overall it is an exciting opportunity for me.

Q: When did it all really start to happen with Mercedes then?
TW: Just before Christmas. There was some talk over coffee earlier on, but nothing serious. But (it happened) in a matter of a couple of weeks. It was extremely efficient as the guys at Daimler knew what they wanted and I fitted the job description, so over the Christmas holidays I figured it out and here I am! (laughs)

Q: Did you immediately fall for the idea of working for Mercedes or did they have to woo you?
TW: I fell for the idea immediately because it is such a fantastic opportunity, being involved on the worldwide motorsport side and on the Formula One side, because I think that I can bring some added value. What was a real problem was the guys at Williams. I was there for three years and in various operational roles in the last year and people started to trust me. I was named as the successor. In reality there will never be a successor to Frank Williams, but I was meant to run the team. How was I going to tell Frank? That was really hard. I gave myself one week to see how I felt and after the third day I almost decided to stay at Williams. I like the people there so much - everybody, from the race team, to the marketing department to Frank himself. They all have been somewhat part of my family and to tell them that I was leaving was very hard. But then the opportunity is so huge. I spoke to the board and there was not one bad feeling - they all wished me luck and my relationship with them is completely intact. Frank’s first comment was ‘that’s interesting. I would do the same if such an opportunity came my way!’ So here we are!

Q: What do you bring to the table? It is a delicate job - Formula One racing wants Mercedes in the sport for the long haul, but this might depend on success...
TW: The commitment from Mercedes is there. Formula One needs patience. When you look back in history it shows that you cannot turn around a team within a couple of years. But then, where are we right now? Ross (Brawn) has worked hard with his team over the winter and there are some brilliant people there. I have met all of them in the last two weeks. That seems short, but you have an instant feeling if you get along with somebody or not and my gut feeling is positive. We will see where we are in a couple of weeks - actually Saturday March 16 at 5.00pm in Melbourne! By then I will develop a better picture of the structure of the team and see where input is needed.

Q: Why do you think Mercedes offered you the job?
TW: Mercedes had decided some years ago to come into Formula One with their own team and that was an important decision for them - to change their role from just being an engine supplier to having a team. Mercedes run a company with 200,000 employees and a turnover of 100 billion Euros, so running a tiny Formula One activity - but one which is in the media spotlight - is something very different. They wanted to come to a situation where they had somebody who was their partner, which makes me very proud. Who can claim he’s a partner of Mercedes? But they not only wanted a partner, but a partner who was a co-shareholder with an understanding of motorsport. We’ve known each other for quite a while so there was a certain trust - and vice versa. All these reasons add up to why I fitted the job profile.

Q: Right now there is a belief that Mercedes are confident that they are on an upward curve because you invested in the team, and the fear of losing money seems to be one of the hallmarks of a successful investor. Is that so?
TW: Exactly - it is all about having your neck on the line! (laughs) As they know I have put my neck on the line they know that I have no room for failure. Not only have I taken a personal risk by leaving Williams - where I have enjoyed working - but there is also a financial and economic side to it. There is a huge amount of trust on both sides and I am very happy having joined.

Q: What is the chain of command? There is Niki Lauda, then there is Ross and then there is you…
TW: The command structure is actually very clear. I think things were made up by the media a couple of weeks ago suggesting that it is not so clear, but that is not the case. Niki is the non-executive chairman of the board which means that he heads the board in non-operational, non-executive functions. He is a triple world champion; he is a good negotiator and he has good relationships. He is very straightforward and direct and is somebody who will be looking after the team. He is chairing the board but it is less of an operational function. Then there is the executive board that is running the company and I am part of the executive board. My angle is more from the commercial side, but of course there are overlaps to the racing activities with Ross. Ross is the team principal who is in charge of the racing team. Nick Fry is still the CEO, and as my role is twofold - on one side I represent Mercedes-Benz as their head of motorsport, on the other side I am a shareholder within the team - I will fit in the senior management.

Q: The team is based in Brackley whilst Mercedes are based in Stuttgart. The suggestion is that this long-distance relationship hasn’t worked too smoothly over the last three years. Was this the reason you moved all operations to Brackley?
TW: Yes. You cannot run a Formula One operation in the UK out of Germany. It is not only a difference in mentality - there is definitely a difference (laughs) - but it is also about physically being there. Running a company from a distance never really works, so the question is either you run it full time or you don’t. And if you don’t, then you rely on management. In the past I have done that, but it was not the role Mercedes had envisioned for me. It was understood that part of the deal was that I’m based in the UK and that is what I am doing. In reality, most of the time I will be travelling with Formula One and the DTM.

Q: So will you be following a similar schedule to the one that your predecessor Norbert Haug had?
TW: No, I will not do Norbert’s ‘world tour’. You can’t do that. I will be going to all the F1 races and I will be going to the major DTM races.

Q: What objectives are on your ‘to-do list’ for 2013?
TW: Well, I could say as much as I like that I had no involvement in the 2013 car - which is actually the truth in terms of car performance - but that doesn’t count. I have been here for two weeks but nobody cares whether I’ve been here one year or one week. I have taken up the responsibility so it is important to get a feeling for the people, and I have a good feeling for most of them. If it is not going in the direction I want, I will implement the structure that I think will work.

Q: What power do you have to change things?
TW: Power is not the issue - understanding the structure and making the right decisions is the core. I don’t right now, but I am there to represent Mercedes, I am there as a shareholder and I will do everything it needs to make this team successful. First it is watch and listen, and then I will give my opinion and execute my opinion.

Q: What about your two drivers? At Williams you often dealt with drivers who were relatively new to Formula One racing. Now you are working with two ‘complete’ racers…
TW: Both of them are very experienced drivers. Lewis (Hamilton) was a world champion with McLaren. I think for him it is also a new experience - being out of a structure he has been used to for so many years. Nico (Rosberg) is a front-running driver. He has been a frontrunner and in first place whenever the car was there. I don’t know them much on a personal level - I’ve had nice discussions with Lewis over the last couple of days and I must say it’s no wonder he is where he is. He is intelligent, switched on and has a huge amount of social intelligence. He is incredibly talented from what I have witnessed as an observer. In fact, I have watched both from their early days because of my activities with driver management and Formula Three engines. Now I am really looking forward to establishing nice relationships with two personalities of the sport.

Q: Do you ever wake up in the night thinking ‘what have I done? I had such a smooth life before and now I’m sitting on the ejector seat’…
TW: I had a nice life being the investor in companies and could blame the guys when they were doing it wrong or could enjoy the fruits and merits when they did well. Now I’ve slid into a fully operational role sitting in - as you call it - the ejector seat. The good news is I have the trigger in my hand and I would have never have got involved in something that I believed I couldn’t do. I know that Mercedes’ standard is to be a top team and if it is not the case then obviously it is going to be difficult to justify what I do.

Q: But you won’t let that happen?
TW: No, I will not let that happen. No.

Q: What would be a good year for you?
TW: If the team finishes in the top four and is a regular frontrunner and we win the DTM.

Q: A lot of people would say that the likelihood of Mercedes winning the DTM is probably greater than Mercedes finishing in P4 in the constructors’ championship…
TW: Ha, you said that (not me). I am convinced that if we sit down in a couple of years we are going to laugh about the current discussions.

Loeb admits Ogier was always in control during Rally Sweden

Sebastien Loeb admits he was powerless to halt Sebastien Ogier's run to victory on Rally Sweden.
The Frenchman, who will now not reappear until Rally Argentina in May, claimed an early lead when he won the superspecial but then surrendered more than 31 seconds on Friday.
Loeb said he held nothing back trying to close the gap over the final two days, but conceded Ogier was always in control at the front.
"I was on my limit. I pushed really hard and tried my best all the time," Loeb said.
"I [did] some great stages, [made] some little mistakes. I tried, but it was not possible.
"I as pushing very hard trying to keep the pressure - I knew I could not take the 30 seconds, but to keep the pressure.
"But he [Ogier] has done a great race. He didn't lose too much time: a little here and there.
"We did a good rally, but not enough."
Loeb said his Friday problems were the result of a poor set-up choice, which was itself prompted by his 3.4s deficit to Ogier in qualifying.
"It didn't start so well in qualifying, we had a bad time. Maybe I was sleeping a bit, I don't know the reason. Maybe I am too old!
"After this qualifying, I started to change the set-up.
"I thought maybe this was the problem, then I went wrong and we struggled in the first day and I lost 30 seconds.

"When you do this in Sweden and the other guy is [driving] as fast then you cannot catch back the time."

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will struggle, reckons Mika Hakkinen

Mika Hakkinen believes Mercedes' early form from last week's Jerez test makes it unlikely that Lewis Hamilton will be able to challenge his former team McLaren this year.
Jenson Button's lap time from the opening day of the Jerez test - when the track was still dirty - left the opposition wary of the MP4-28's potential, and was in contrast to the difficulties Mercedes faced over the week.
Although Hakkinen admits that the next test at Barcelona will deliver a better indication of form, he thinks he has seen enough to judge how the McLaren and Mercedes battle will go.
"To be honest the first test of the season is always a little bit of a gamble," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"You don't get the 100 per cent picture of the performance of the car, so it is a little bit early to say.
"I have a strong feeling McLaren is in top form this year. Like we saw in testing in Jerez, the Mercedes was not exactly up to the speed I expected them to be, so I don't see them competing too much this year."
Coulthard optimistic
Hakkinen's comments are in contrast to those of his former McLaren team-mate David Coulthard, who reckons Hamilton can deliver from the off.
Speaking in an interview for the Australian Grand Prix podcast, Coulthard said: "Mercedes have a great engine and there are a lot of talented people there, so if they get the aero package right there's no reason why Lewis can't win multiple races and the championship.
"Mercedes have had a couple of years without success but they have a lot of history when it comes to building race cars and they've had time to look at what the other teams are doing and move in the right direction."
Coulthard also pointed towards Hamilton's record compared to his new team-mate Nico Rosberg as a reason for the Englishman to be optimistic this season.
"Nico won the race in China last year, but if you look back over Lewis's performance in the junior formulae compared to Nico's then everything would seem to suggest that he has that little extra spark.
"They've had very parallel careers all the way from karting but Lewis has always been the one that's shone out of the two.
"If Nico can win a grand prix there's no reason why Lewis can't win a race, or even multiple races."

Mercedes impressed by Lewis Hamilton after Jerez F1 test

Lewis Hamilton has already proven to Mercedes that he has the off-track skills and attitude to match his obvious speed, says team boss Ross Brawn.
At the end of his first week of track action with Mercedes during testing at Jerez in Spain, Brawn said that Hamilton had impressed not only with his performance in the car but in how he was approaching the task of moving Mercedes forward.
"He is clearly a very talented driver," said Brawn. "But F1 is about so much more. There are a lot of highly talented drivers who do not have the rest of it.
"I think he has the rest of it as well."
Brawn said that Hamilton's attitude to working with Mercedes had been a big help, especially the way he was dealing methodically with the situation, and leaving no stone unturned.
"He is very straightforward I have to say," explained Brawn. "In many ways he is very simple, very straightforward. He tells us what he thinks.
"He is never short of detail in telling you what he thinks and, of course, you learn at what level you need to go to. He is interested in everything about the car. He is interested in the fact that the stickers might not be put properly on the bodywork.
"He has a very good eye for detail, so I think he will be a very involved member of the team, which is what we wanted."
Brawn did think, however, that it would take some time for Hamilton and the engineering team to become as integrated as they will need to be to ensure car development is always in the right direction.
"I think it is still very early in terms of understanding what he wants from a car perspective. We need a greater spread before we get to understand that bit, but he is clearly a person who enjoys being involved at all levels.
"That is a great motivation for the team. He has been working hard with the engineers at this test. He has been here on the days that Nico [Rosberg] has been driving, listening on the headset to what has been going on. So, he is everything I hoped he would be."
Brawn also revealed that he had made it clear to Hamilton that it was vital the former world champion spoke his mind to ensure that he could help the team improve.
"We have made it very clear to Lewis that he is part of the solution," he said. "You have a choice in the team - you are either a problem or you are a solution.
"He is part of the solution to get us where we want to be.
"He knows that and he understands it and I think he is relishing it. It is correct that he gives us his reference points and helps us understand what he must focus on.
"Some of them we knew already and that is why we restructured the aero group, so I welcome that approach.
"It needs to be constructive and it needs to be positive, but criticism of the right sort is always helpful as it drives you forward."

Sebastian Vettel Q&A: New Red Bull a step forward

Sebastian Vettel was looking super-relaxed as he arrived in Jerez for the first pre-season test of the year. The reigning world champion slipped into the cockpit of Red Bull’s RB9 for the first time on Thursday following two productive days of running by team mate Mark Webber.

After completing 102 laps in his new car, Vettel spoke to the media about his first impressions of the machine with which he’ll begin his title defence on March 17 in Australia...

Q: Sebastian, you’ve had your first run in the RB9 - what is your gut feeling? Is it another special car?
Sebastian Vettel: Ah, first of all it was good to be back in the car and to shake off the rust! (laughs) I felt good in the car, but it is definitely too early to make any predictions. The good news is that everything worked super and is reliable. There haven’t been any issues and speed-wise it looks pretty solid. It definitely is a step forward from last year. It’s been said a hundred times and I’ll say it again: there hasn’t been much of a regulation change so I would say that most cars pick up from where they left off in 2012.

Q: How do you know that it is already a step forward from the RB8?
SV: Well, that’s not so easy to feel. Last time we’ve been here was exactly one year ago and the car back then was miles behind what we have now. Then we have new tyres and that gives more grip. You feel that in the fast corners.

Q: When you first got into the car did you have a feeling it would be good? After all Mark had two productive days to start the test…
SV: It was clear that the car shows reliability and that is key. Visually the car hasn’t changed much. The real changes are underneath and there it is paramount that everything works, so the two days that Mark did - and my running - are good news. Is the car a winner? You only know that at the end so I’ll be damned if I would give a verdict!

Q: Was the lap time that Ferrari's Felipe Massa did frightening? He was the only driver to go under 1 minute 18 seconds…
SV: Not at all. We haven’t been looking for speed today. We left the speed rush to the others. My guess is that some were running on low fuel. Our programme is what really matters and for me to get into the groove again. And guess what? It worked without any major hiccups. So let’s see what my second day brings.

Q: What have you learned about the new Pirelli tyres?
SV: Well, I had some expectations and Pirelli gave us information about the differences before, and pretty much expectation and information were congruent. That’s all I can say right now. The Jerez track is very hard on tyres - one of the most difficult tracks for the life expectancy of tyres overall - so this is definitely not your usual tarmac.

Q: Do you expect faster lap times this season with the new tyres and evolution of the cars?
SV: No, and I think we will have some problems here and there as there have been some rule changes, especially in qualifying where you cannot use DRS whenever you feel it helpful. You can now only use it at clearly identified points and that will translate into slower lap times.

Q: Christian Horner has signed a new contract with Red Bull and in the past Jerez has always been a time for you to think about your future. You seem comfortable in the team, so will you be putting your signature on a new contract?
SV: Listen: this is as delicate as asking a woman her age! You never ask about contracts! (laughs)

Q: But you do feel comfortable, don’t you?
SV: Isn’t that something that everybody can see? It was a fun day to be in the car again and other than that there is no news.

WRC Sweden: Sebastien Ogier claims Volkswagen's first WRC victory

Sebastien Ogier clinched the Volkswagen Polo R's first World Rally Championship victory as he broke Sebastien Loeb's challenge on the final day in Sweden.
Ogier had established a half-minute margin on the opening day, but Loeb kept him within sight thereafter and was edging closer on Sunday.
The VW driver insisted he was managing the gap and had more speed in hand.
He proved that on the first stage after Sunday's mid-morning regroup, outpacing Loeb's Citroen by three seconds on the short Kirkener then vaulting 35.8s clear when Loeb made a mistake on the following Finnskogen stage.
Winning the power stage as well gave Ogier a 41s victory margin, a maximum 28-point score and the championship lead.
Having spent 2012 in a Super 2000 Skoda while VW prepared its World Rally Car, Ogier's Sweden win was his first triumph since the 2011 Rally of France 17 months ago.
The result was also only the second time a non-Scandinavian driver had won Rally Sweden, following Loeb's 2004 triumph. The French one-two meant this was the worst result for Scandinavians in the event's history.
Mads Ostberg was top 'home' driver (several stages running in his native Norway) in third. He looked quick enough to fight for victory on Friday morning as he recovered from a penalty for delays incurred while fixing an overheating problem on his Qatar M-Sport Ford.
But after briefly challenging Loeb, Ostberg became embroiled in a long battle with the second VW of Jari-Matti Latvala for third. Latvala had been second for a spell, before ending up six seconds behind Ostberg in fourth.
Evgeny Novikov looked set for a comfortable fifth place until he rolled and lost 10 minutes with three stages to go.
That handed the final top six spots to his Qatar M-Sport team-mates Thierry Neuville and Juho Hanninen, the latter another man to spend some time off the road.
Loeb will not now reappear until Argentina in May, leaving Citroen's title challenge in the hands of Mikko Hirvonen and Dani Sordo.

Both made mistakes in Sweden. Hirvonen went off on the first full-length stage and was consigned to a 16th-place finish. Sordo crashed on both Friday and Sunday, the latter error ending his rally.
Novikov and Sordo's late incidents plus returnee Henning Solberg's Sunday morning alternator delay elevated Martin Prokop to seventh, ahead of Solberg and Novikov.
At the foot of the top 10, Saudi Arabian driver Yazeed Al Rahji took a surprise WRC2 win on the snow after a long dice with Anders Grondal, whose Production Subaru was no match for Al Rahji's RRC Ford.

Leading finishers after SS22:

Pos  Driver              Team/Car              Time/Gap
 1.  Sebastien Ogier     VW                  3h11m41.9s
 2.  Sebastien Loeb      Citroen                + 41.8s
 3.  Mads Ostberg        Qatar M-Sport Ford   + 1m24.5s
 4.  Jari-Matti Latvala  VW                   + 1m30.6s
 5.  Thierry Neuville    Qatar M-Sport Ford   + 5m06.4s
 6.  Juho Hanninen       Qatar M-Sport Ford   + 5m43.1s
 7.  Martin Prokop       Czech Ford          + 11m25.4s
 8.  Henning Solberg     M-Sport Ford        + 11m42.7s
 9.  Evgeny Novikov      Qatar M-Sport Ford  + 13m04.7s
10.  Yazeed Al Rahji     Yazeed Ford         + 16m27.0s

Interview with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton

This week’s first two days of pre-season testing proved highly frustrating for Mercedes, with technical problems restricting Nico Rosberg and new team mate Lewis Hamilton to just a handful of laps. Both men made up for it over the final two days, however, and Hamilton came away from Jerez in a positive frame of mind for the next test in Barcelona…

Q: Lewis, after two nights’ sleep and a pretty productive second test day, have you put Wednesday’s crash behind you?
Lewis Hamilton: Ah, that Wednesday experience was nothing special. It was a tough day - but indeed nothing special.

Q: It was quite an impact. Is that so easy to put behind you?
LH: It was - and I definitely felt it. But I’ve had plenty of crashes in my racing career, so that was just another one to the list.

Q: You said that you’ve bruised your leg, but it’s nothing serious?
LH: No, not at all. I was already training the next day.

Q: So, far no panic attacks or sleepless nights so far over your decision to join Mercedes?
LH: No, no. I don’t live my life with regrets. When I make a decision that I’ve had time to think about, generally I never have to think about it again. When you make decisions on a whim you might regret it - but I don’t do that. My sleep is fantastic!

Q: Fleeing the nest was said to be the prime reason for your switching team. Is Mercedes a place where you will be able to build your own nest?
LH: Yes, I think so. So far I am loving it here. The team is great. Everybody is so welcoming and it feels fantastic to work with a new group of people. I honestly feel that this could be a place for me to grow something new.

Q: Were you surprised that so many people felt obliged to take such a deep interest in your career, expressing their suspicions that you might have jumped to the wrong ship?
LH: No, that didn’t surprise me. That’s how people are. Whenever there is something coming up some people feel the right to make their comments. That doesn’t really bother me.

Q: You said that at Mercedes you’re in for a marathon and not a sprint. Have you ever done a marathon to know what you’re talking about?
LH: I have done a half marathon. I heard that expression once and I thought that it was a good way of speaking about my situation - I am here for the long term.

Q: So you believe that you will have the stamina to go all the way with Mercedes - in marathon terms, the full 42 kilometres?
LH: Oh yes, I hope so. (laughs)

Q: Your memory must still be fresh of how the McLaren felt - a car that won seven races last season? How does the F1 W04 compare?
LH: Well, on the first day I basically did only installation laps and then I suffered a crash. My second day was pretty promising. The aim was to do as much mileage as possible - and we did 145 laps. That is not bad for a day’s work. As the track is very abrasive, we basically ran hard and medium tyres so you are not looking massively at lap times. Very clearly the car is at an early stage. And as I have no comparison to Mercedes’ 2012 car I have to get acquainted from zero - and that takes time. Overall the feeling is positive and comparing with the past is not my thing.

Q: Were you surprised that there were serious issues on both of the first two days?
LH: None of us had expected that. And of course it was a surprise. But that’s the way it goes. When you have failures on the car it is always a surprise.

Q: A positive attitude obviously seems to be in order right now – maybe the team have now had their share of bad luck for 2013…
LH: I hope so. Keep fingers crossed.

Q: Returning to McLaren again, there were rumours of technical director Paddy Lowe following you from Woking to Brackley. Would that have provided a comfort zone for you at your new team?
LH: I already have a comfort zone. I don’t think that anybody coming from McLaren would give me an extra comfort zone. I am already in a comfortable place where I am. I think if we are able over time to add good, strong people to the team it can only be positive for us, But at the moment, from what I know, the team is as it is.

Q: At McLaren you dealt only with team principal Martin Whitmarsh - and perhaps Ron Dennis on occasions. Now you have Ross Brawn, Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda. Who is your first port of call?
LH: Well, I report to Toto and to Ross - and also to Niki. The good thing is that I have these guys to go to. Martin was a fantastic boss - and I wouldn’t be in Formula One without Ron, so I was fortunate to have good bosses.

Q: Do you divide your reports? The technical stuff goes to Ross and everything else to Toto?
LH: To be honest, whomever I see first I talk to. When I am at the factory I speak to all three of them - or particularly to Ross and Toto because they have all the connections to all the engineers and mechanics. I mention something to Toto and I reiterate it to Ross - I push from both sides.

Q: Does it help to have with Niki - someone who has been a champion as well and who knows how an F1 driver ticks?
LH: Definitely it is an upside to have somebody who knows what I feel in the car, who can understand and relate to what I said.

Q: What does your dream career at Mercedes look like? 2013, 2014, 2015?
LH: World champion, world champion, world champion! That would be the dream. I wouldn’t dream any other way. If I didn’t wake up every day and work towards being a world champion, then I would be wasting my time.

WRC Sweden: Sebastien Ogier leads into final day

Sebastien Ogier edged away from Sebastien Loeb once again as day two of Rally Sweden came to an end.
Loeb had done his utmost to keep the pressure on Ogier during Saturday, and trimmed a few seconds from the Volkswagen's lead in the morning.
But Ogier responded in the afternoon, sharing the Sagen stage win with Loeb, and then setting the pace on the next two tests.
Loeb outpaced him by 1.1s on the short Hagfors Sprint, keeping the gap at 26.9 seconds with six stages to go.
The French duo have now left the rest of the field behind. Jari-Matti Latvala struggled with his VW on the second leg-two loop and lost third place to Mads Ostberg in the best of the Qatar M-Sport Fords. While Ostberg is 6.1s in front of Latvala, he trails Loeb by half a minute
Evgeny Novikov is taking it easy in a solitary fifth place. Fellow Qatar M-Sport man Juho Hanninen was edging away from team-mate Thierry Neuville until sliding into a snow bank on the Hagfors Sprint stage and losing sixth.
The recovering Dani Sordo is closing on ninth-placed Martin Prokop but will go into the final day still 35.8s adrift.

Leading positions after SS16:

Pos  Driver              Team/Car              Time/Gap
 1.  Sebastien Ogier     VW                  2h18m22.8s
 2.  Sebastien Loeb      Citroen                + 26.9s
 3.  Mads Ostberg        Qatar M-Sport Ford     + 57.7s
 4.  Jari-Matti Latvala  VW                   + 1m03.8s
 5.  Evgeny Novikov      Qatar M-Sport Ford   + 1m43.5s
 6.  Thierry Neuville    Qatar M-Sport Ford   + 3m16.2s
 7.  Juho Hanninen       Qatar M-Sport Ford   + 4m10.5s
 8.  Henning Solberg     M-Sport Ford         + 5m16.7s
 9.  Martin Prokop       Czech Ford           + 7m56.1s
10.  Dani Sordo          Citroen              + 8m31.9s

Jerez F1 testing: Raikkonen puts Lotus on top on final day

Kimi Raikkonen topped the final day of Formula 1's first pre-season test of 2013 at Jerez.
The Finn set the best time of the day on a short run with the soft tyre during the afternoon running, which was extended by 30 minutes to make up for a delay caused by track repairs around lunchtime.
Raikkonen had attacked the run from the moment he left the pits, choosing to force a way past the Caterham of Charles Pic on his out lap rather than back off to get clear track.
After the short, but clearly committed run, the 2007 world champion switched back to longer runs.
Raikkonen's lap was just enough to prevent Force India hopeful Jules Bianchi from leading the way as he bids to earn a promotion to a race seat with the Silverstone-based team.
Bianchi's lap, which came just after the track re-opened following the long stoppage in the middle of the day, also came on soft tyres.
The Ferrari junior had no chance to respond to Raikkonen's lap, as he handed the Force India back to lead driver Paul di Resta for the final two hours.
World champion Sebastian Vettel was third fastest for Red Bull on a day where he focused on long runs with the medium and hard tyres.
Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez managed to go fourth with a short run, but he spent most of his afternoon getting used to how the Pirelli tyres behave on longer stints.
A series of short runs on the soft tyre helped Jean-Eric Vergne move up to fifth late in the day, moving him ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
The Briton had a much better second day with his new team, making up for his lack of running on Wednesday due to a crash by logging the most laps of anyone.
New Ferrari development driver Pedro de la Rosa got back out in the afternoon after a gearbox problem stopped the F138 in the morning. The Spaniard completed 50 laps.

TODAY'S TIMES

Pos  Driver                 Team            Time                Laps
 1.  Kimi Raikkonen         Lotus           1m18.148s           83
 2.  Jules Bianchi          Force India     1m18.175s  + 0.027  56
 3.  Sebastian Vettel       Red Bull        1m18.565s  + 0.417  96
 4.  Esteban Gutierrez      Sauber          1m18.669s  + 0.521  142
 5.  Jean-Eric Vergne       Toro Rosso      1m18.760s  + 0.612  92
 6.  Lewis Hamilton         Mercedes        1m18.905s  + 0.757  145
 7.  Sergio Perez           McLaren         1m18.944s  + 0.796  98
 8.  Valtteri Bottas        Williams        1m19.851s  + 1.703  92
 9.  Pedro de la Rosa       Ferrari         1m20.316s  + 2.168  51
10.  Charles Pic            Caterham        1m21.105s  + 2.957  109
11.  Luiz Razia             Marussia        1m21.226s  + 3.078  82
12.  Paul di Resta          Force India     1m23.435s  + 5.287  49

WRC Sweden: Sebastien Ogier in a class of his own

Sebastien Ogier goes into leg two of Rally Sweden in a class of his own at the front of the field.
Five fastest times from Friday's seven stages placed the Volkswagen driver 31.4 seconds ahead of nearest rival Sebastien Loeb by the time the evening superspecial in Karlstad was complete.
Barring problems for Ogier, the main interest now seems to be the battle for second.
Citroen driver Loeb inched his advantage over Jari-Matti Latvala's VW up by two tenths to 1.7s on the superspecial.

But both could come under pressure from Mads Ostberg, currently nine seconds behind, early on Saturday. Once his Friday morning overheating problems were resolved, Ostberg was confident he had to pace to recover to second - although he doubts Ogier can be caught.
Pontus Tidemand completed a strong first day in a World Rally Car in sixth position, just 10s behind fellow Ford man Evgeny Novikov.
Thierry Neuville and Mikko Hirvonen shared the quickest time on the superspecial.
While Neuville completed day one in eighth position, Hirvonen's morning mistake leaves him back in 32nd overall.

Leading positions after SS8:

Pos  Driver              Team/Car              Time/Gap
 1.  Sebastien Ogier     VW                    1h16m00.1s
 2.  Sebastien Loeb      Citroen               + 31.4s
 3.  Jari-Matti Latvala  VW                    + 33.1s
 4.  Mads Ostberg        Qatar M-Sport Ford    + 42.3s
 5.  Evgeny Novikov      Qatar M-Sport Ford    + 1m11.7s
 6.  Pontus Tidemand     PTM Ford              + 1m22.1s
 7.  Juho Hanninen       Qatar M-Sport Ford    + 1m49.5s
 8.  Thierry Neuville    Qatar M-Sport Ford    + 2m00.2s
 9.  Henning Solberg     M-Sport Ford          + 3m25.3s
10.  Martin Prokop       Czech Ford            + 4m43.3s

Pirelli says Jerez too rough for Formula 1 tyre testing

Formula 1 teams may need to consider an alternative venue to Jerez for pre-season tyre testing next year unless the Spanish venue undergoes a track resurface, according to Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery.
Hembery claims that this week's first action at Jerez has been compromised by the surface being too rough to allow proper evaluation of tyres.
"The track is rather abrasive - and is substantially worse than last year," said Hembery, when asked by AUTOSPORT for his feelings on what had been learned this week.
"We have seen quite a lot of shredding of tyres, and there seems to be a lack of bitumen in the track, so we are looking at a very open surface.

"It has meant that what was historically an interesting track from our point of view for doing tyre compound work has proven to be probably dominated by that effect, so we have not seen the differences between the compounds that we would have liked.
"We have still seen peak performances of half a second between different levels, and the hard tyre has been working quite well considering those conditions to get through their work, but there has been this stripping action across the top of the tyres."
When asked if the track was now too rough for useful tyre work, he said: "Certainly for tyre evaluations, yes. It is a shame because the weather conditions are not too bad.
"You struggle to get anywhere above 20 degrees in Europe in February, so it is slightly disappointing from that point of view.
"But it is quite a big evolution from last year; it is so far away from anything else you are going to see in terms of macro."
Force India's Paul di Resta said earlier this week that his outfit has been taken aback by the track data report it had been given ahead of the test.
"Jerez is quite difficult, and demanding on tyres," he said. "When we saw the Pirelli report this morning we were quite surprised to see how much the track has roughed up over the last year."

Jerez F1 testing: Felipe Massa stays ahead on day three

Felipe Massa's morning benchmark was enough to ensure Ferrari ended on top on a day when reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel got his first taste of Red Bull's RB9.
The Brazilian set the fastest time seen so far this week at Jerez when he broke the 1m18s barrier during a short run on soft tyres.
His 1m17.879s wasn't threatened in the afternoon, with only Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes W04 able to get within one second of the time.

Three different cars - McLaren, Lotus and now Ferrari - have topped the opening three days.
Rosberg provided a welcome relief to the setbacks Mercedes had suffered on days one and two by racking up 148 laps, comfortably the most of any driver.
The German had been forced to cut short his day one programme due to electrical issues, while a rear-brake issue caused Hamilton's debut test for Mercedes to end early and in the barriers.
Vettel also broke into triple figures in the lap count, while an afternoon improvement was enough to send him into third overall.
Kimi Raikkonen, like Vettel getting his first taste of his team's 2013 car, improved in the afternoon session and finished just over one tenth of a second down on the triple world champion.
On his first day in the Toro Rosso STR8, Jean-Eric Vergne finished fifth, just ahead of Force India's simulator driver James Rossiter.
Rossiter managed 42 laps in the morning before handing over to Paul di Resta, whose programme was then derailed after just seven laps due to an exhaust issue.
Jenson Button, who brought about a premature end to the day when he stopped out on track between Turns 7 and 8, was seventh ahead of Sauber's new signing and F1 rookie Esteban Gutierrez.
The Mexican was the day's second busiest driver with 110 laps.
Several late improvements helped carry Max Chilton into ninth, above Williams's new signing Valtteri Bottas and Caterham's Charles Pic.
Today's times:

Pos  Driver              Team            Time                Laps
 1.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari         1m17.879s           85
 2.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes        1m18.766s  +0.887   148
 3.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull        1m19.052s  +1.173   102
 4.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus           1m19.200s  +1.321   40
 5.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso      1m19.247s  +1.368   85
 6.  James Rossiter      Force India     1m19.303s  +1.424   42
 7.  Jenson Button       McLaren         1m19.603s  +1.724   83
 8.  Esteban Gutierrez   Sauber          1m19.934s  +2.055   110
 9.  Max Chilton         Marussia        1m21.269s  +3.390   78
10.  Valtteri  Bottas    Williams        1m21.575s  +3.696   86
11.  Charles Pic         Caterham        1m22.352s  +4.473   57
12.  Paul di Resta       Force India     1m23.729s  +5.850   7

All Timing Unofficial

WRC Sweden: Sebastien Loeb takes early lead

Sebastien Loeb claimed the early Rally Sweden lead by winning the Karlstad superspecial on Thursday night.
At the start of the second of his four appearances in his World Rally Championship swansong year, Loeb set the pace by half a second for Citroen.
Volkswagen's Jari-Matti Latvala and Qatar M-Sport Ford driver Evgeny Novikov set equal second-fastest times, with Mikko Hirvonen and Mads Ostberg tied for fourth.
Qualifying pacesetter Sebastien Ogier was in a head-to-head with Loeb, but lost 2.5s in an impact with a snow bank.
Long-time stage leader Jarkko Nikara ended up eighth on his return with a Prodrive-prepared Mini, just ahead of the delayed Ogier.
Fellow returnees Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson were 10th and 13th. Solberg did a late deal to use a spare M-Sport Ford, while Wilson is standing in for the unwell Nasser Al-Attiyah in the main Qatar M-Sport line-up.
After setting a sensational fourth-fastest time in qualifying, WRC Academy graduate Pontus Tidemand was 14th in his privately-entered Ford.

Leading times after superspecial:

Pos  Driver              Team/Car             Time/Gap
 1.  Sebastien Loeb      Citroen              1h34m52s
 2.  Jari-Matti Latvala  VW                    + 0.5s
 3.  Evgeny Novikov      Qatar M-Sport Ford    + 0.5s
 4.  Mads Ostberg        Qatar M-Sport Ford    + 0.7s
 5.  Mikko Hirvonen      Citroen               + 0.7s
 6.  Thierry Neuville    Qatar M-Sport Ford    + 1.7s
 7.  Dani Sordo          Citroen               + 1.9s
 8.  Jarkko Nikara       Prodrive Mini         + 2.0s
 9.  Sebastien Ogier     VW                    + 2.5s
10.  Henning Solberg     M-Sport Ford          + 2.6s